It has been nearly 13 years since Michael Jordan scored 20 points for the East in his 14th and final NBA All-Star Game, a 155-145 loss to the West in the 2003.
Jordan’s all-star spotlight on April 15 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., will shine on the annual Jordan Brand Classic where he will serve as host for a day of all-star games, highlighted by a matchup featuring the top senior high school boys’ basketball players in the country.
Sixteen players were named Friday to the prestigious boys game with more players will be added to the Jordan rosters toward the end of the 2015-16 season.
Nine of the 16 were selected to the American Family Insurance ALL-USA preseason team in November. American Family Insurance is the presenting sponsor of the Jordan Brand Classic.
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Kentucky, which has the country’s No. 1 recruiting class according to ESPN, leads the way with three Jordan Brand Classic All-Americans: Cypress Lakes (Katy, Texas) point guard De’Aaron Fox, High Point (N.C.) Christian Academy forward Edrice “Bam” Adebayo and Bentonville (Ark.) shooting guard Malik Monk.
Duke, whose class is ranked No. 2, has two: Forest Trail Academy (Kernersville, N.C.) forward Harry Giles III and Chaminade College Prep (St. Louis) forward Jayson Tatum.
Giles, who is sidelined this season after tearing a knee ligament during his first game at Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), and Tatum are No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the ESPN 100. Eight of the top 10 players have been selected for the game.
The game featuring the top boys players will be the nightcap of four games as the Jordan Brand Classic returns to Barclays Center for the fourth consecutive year. The day begins with an international game at 1:30 p.m. ET, followed by the girls national game at 3:30, a regional game featuring top players from New York City against top players from the Northeast at 5:30, and the boys national game at 8.
The Jordan Brand Classic, which has hosted postgame musical performances by everyone from Nicki Minaj to Drake, has featured standouts such as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and Kevin Durant. Nine of the 14 players selected in the 2015 NBA draft lottery played in the event.
